Hallmark Reveals Mothers’ Day Cards for Gay Moms

Officials from Hallmark Cards Inc. revealed recently that they’ve created Mothers’ Day cards for kids with gay moms. According to Today.com, one of the cards reads, "Moms are second to none," and on the inside it says, "How does anyone ever get by with just one?"

Hallmark also made Valentines’ Day cards for same-sex couples this year. Ernsting said those cards "were well received."

Kathy Krassner, director of communications for the industry trade group Greeting Card Association, said the progressive cards reflect the nation’s views on the LGBT community.

"With last year’s Supreme Court ruling bolstering gay marriage, more companies are offering same-sex wedding cards, and we’re likely to see an increase in same-sex cards for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day going forward," she told Today.com.

Hallmark, along with its rival American Greetings, have cards for same-sex weddings and anniversaries. Today.com notes, however, American Greetings has not created Mothers’ Day cards for same-sex moms.

"We don’t because really it’s about a one-to-one relationship," spokeswoman Patrice Saad told the website. "You have a unique relationship with both [parents]."

Brandon Ruiz, lead analyst at IBISWord, told Today that from a business perspective, not including same-sex couples in cards could hurt the industry, adding the greeting card industry is "already declining as it is."

"I think Hallmark, in particular, has that ’first mover’ advantage," Ruiz said. "They’ve been the trend-setter in the industry," he said. Hallmark has created cards for stepmothers, birth mothers and adoptive mothers.

"They’re being more specific and they’re trying to cast a wider net, so to speak," Ruiz added.

Hallmark Cards Inc., a $4 billion empire built on a demand for printed sentimentality, enters its second century facing a weak economy and what could be an even greater challenge: a generation that has grown up posting its sentiments online.

Earlier this week while members of the LGBT community were seeing red over Hallmark stigmatizing the word "gay" by dropping it from the lyric of a Christmas carol, prominent anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera saw some scarlet of his own over the issue.